Ferrari fans expected a stellar performance at the Canadian Grand Prix, but it turned into a calamity where nothing seemed to go right. Team boss Fred Vasseur acknowledged the string of misfortunes but emphasized that the team wouldn’t overreact.
Entering the Montreal weekend, Ferrari was seen as the favorite to win, but expectations quickly fell apart in low-grip conditions. Both drivers, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, failed to make it to the top-10 shootout in qualifying. The subsequent wet-to-dry race offered chances for redemption, but they remained unrealized.
Leclerc’s woes began as early as lap two with a crippling engine issue that forced him to pit and reset his car, costing him valuable time and ultimately leading to his retirement from the race. Sainz faced his troubles too, suffering early damage to his front wing and floor after a collision with Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas. Although he found some pace on slick tires as the track dried, he spun out on a wet patch at Turn 6, taking Williams’ Alex Albon out with him.
Team Principal Fred Vasseur summed it up succinctly, stating, ‘Everything went wrong.’ The most frustrating issue was Leclerc’s power unit, which left him down by 80 horsepower. Vasseur elaborated, ‘We were expecting a red flag to do a power cycle and try to come back, but the red flag never happened.’
Leclerc’s struggle was palpable. ‘When you are in the car, fighting in a group and see you are missing 10 or 15 kp/h, you have no chance to overtake,’ Vasseur noted. ‘If he was not frustrated in these conditions, I would be worried.’
Sainz had an equally tough time. Qualifying 11th and 12th respectively, both drivers were unable to make significant progress during the race. Vasseur expressed optimism about their race pace on Friday and said they were confident before disaster struck. ‘Conditions were tricky, and a couple of cars had the same issue, but we were quite confident for the race pace,’ he explained.
Despite the challenges, Vasseur remains focused on the bigger picture. ‘We don’t change the approach. We are working as a team with the drivers in the good and bad moments, and we will keep the same approach for next weekend and continue together.’ When asked about whether this was his most difficult weekend, he replied, ‘The most difficult? I don’t know, but it was not the best one. I’m not [bothered] at all by this kind of weekend; it is what it is.’
Ferrari’s disastrous weekend in Canada has given them plenty to reflect on, but Fred Vasseur is clear that the team will not overreact. Keeping a steady hand on the wheel, the Scuderia aims to move forward, learning from the mishaps but staying true to their approach that has seen them start the 2024 season in strong form.
Source: Motorsport
